The long-awaited It Follows sequel is building an impressive ensemble. As production gears up on They Follow, writer/director David Robert Mitchell has reportedly added 10 new cast members to join returning star Maika Monroe and the previously announced Naomi Ackie (Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody).
According to Deadline, the latest additions include Justine Lupe (Succession), Michael Gandolfini (Daredevil: Born Again), Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen), Melora Walters (Magnolia), Tom Pecinka (Stereophonic), Anna Mirodin (Ivan), Jayne Taini (Unbelievable), Ben Krieger (Song Sung Blue), Natalie Shinnick (The Brutalist), and Jan Hoag (The Fabelmans).
The cast will be led once again by Maika Monroe, reprising her role as Jay. While details about the newcomers’ characters remain under wraps, the growing ensemble suggests Mitchell is expanding the scope of the sequel.
What is They Follow about?
Almost three years have passed since They Follow was first announced, and the project is finally moving toward production. Plot details remain guarded, but the story is set a decade after the events of the original film.
While the filmmakers haven’t revealed the sequel’s story, Monroe has previously teased that it takes a very different approach from the first movie.
She told Discussing Film:
“I was sent the script and I thought it was incredible. It’s also very different from the original. I felt the original was a little more heightened and dramatic, and this I think is really quite grounded. (The sequel) follows the story of these two women that are just mentally dealing with a lot. I thought it was a really interesting take on it.”
Mitchell has also promised that They Follow won’t simply repeat the formula that made the original such a modern horror classic. Speaking with Empire, he said:
“I’m very proud of the script. It is its own unique thing, while still being very much connected to the first film. It’s doing something cool that is going to be really fun.”
Returning creative team
Several of Mitchell’s key collaborators from the original film are also coming back. Cinematographer Mike Gioulakis, editor Julio C. Perez IV, and composer Disasterpeace are all returning for the sequel. Mitchell previously said he wouldn’t have wanted to make another It Follows movie without Disasterpeace’s memorable score, which became one of the defining elements of the original.
Mitchell is once again directing from his own screenplay and is producing alongside Jake Weiner, Chris Bender, Erik Rommesmo, Mike D’Alto, Randal Sandler, Scott Aharoni, Sinan Eczacıbaşı, David Kaplan, Rebecca Green, and Laura Smith.
Why It Follows became a horror classic
Released in 2014, It Follows followed college student Jay (Monroe), who becomes the target of a relentless supernatural entity after a sexual encounter. The curse can only be escaped by passing it to someone else, creating one of the most memorable horror concepts of the last decade.
Made for just over $1 million, the film earned approximately $23 million worldwide and quickly became one of the most popular horror movies of the 2010s, launching Monroe’s career and cementing Mitchell as one of the genre’s most intriguing filmmakers.
Are you excited to see They Follow, and what do you think of the cast? Let us know in the comments.
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